Outlining Madness #4: Okay, Now It's Turning Into Madness

Tip of the Day: Like Tumblr? You can follow YA Highway on Tumblr at http://yahighway.tumblr.com/. And Game of Thrones fans must get the excellent advice at http://jorahsays.tumblr.com/.

So an outliner is me. I outlined a trilogy based on a novel I wrote a couple of years ago and started rewriting the novel. And I don't like it. I don't feel like the outline is stiffening the writing or taking the surprise out of it. I just don't like it. Maybe revising an old novel feels like going backwards. Maybe I feel like I should be spending my time working on something more similar to my last novel.

Am I, an unpublished author, talking about branding? I might be talking about branding.

The problem is that my last novel required a lot of research, and if that's going to be my brand, it's going to be very, very difficult to produce in quantity. Which is a pain in the butt. Aren't we new media/new publishing world writers expected to have lots of product on hand? Have we lost the luxury of taking a year or more to write a novel because of the research involved?

Okay, back to the drawing board. The whole idea of having outlines this summer is so I'd know what to write. I went in fully prepared to put aside outlines and first chapters and ignore them. And if that's what I've decided to do ... well, that outline and opening chapters aren't going anywhere, and maybe they'll have some use someday. Ha.

But now I need to write an outline for a novel where I have no idea what the main plot is, I'm not sure   who all the viewpoint characters should be, and that naturally means I don't know where to begin the novel. I'm in pre-outlining mode. I'm Googling things like strip mining and Civil War regiments of colored troops and census names and hoping this all comes together into something.

Anyway, I have a page labeled "Promises to Reader." Actually, it's in my handwriting, so it's labeled "promses 2 readr" but you get the point. There are subtitles for things my setting promises the reader. (Underground tunnels. Fires/explosions.) And there's a subtitle which, in my writing, is YA Genre promses 2 readr. Here's what's under that heading so far:

romance
change
looking ahead, not back
injustice
proactive main characters
making difficult decisions about the future

Right now I've got what feels like 7 subplots but I'm missing the hook. The thing that would make you think "I have to read this book." So I'm still reading and thinking and putting things together, and trying to come up with something that will catch me a fast hook and not push me off a cliff to nowhere.

But this week I'll start sketching out scenes and character motivations, and that will give me the foundation of an outline. And then I'll outline it, write a few chapters, and decide whether to keep going or pick a different story idea from the Acme catalog of half-baked ideas in my brain. And probably somewhere in there, I'll fall off a cliff once or twice. Let the madness continue!

-- Kate, Miss Perfecting the Pages

When Inspiration Finds You...

Tip of the Day: My books are on sale this week through Smashwords. Coupon codes are on the upper right portion of each book's individual page.

Since my son had his tonsils out last Friday, there hasn't been much writerly activity going on in my house (seems to be a common theme for the A2A girls this week). One morning, Luke and I cuddled up on the couch together. I flipped on the Science channel - one of my favorite time-wasters - and watched a really fascinating program on genetics.

Basically, in the 1980s there were quite a few hemophiliacs infected with the HIV virus due to the tainted blood supply. One man took infected transfusions, but never contracted the HIV virus. Scientists and doctors were stymied. What was going on with this guy and how could they harness his super-human resistance to a disease that was killing so many loved ones around the world?

Long story short, it turned out this man had a very rare gene. The scientists traced it back to the Middle Ages and the Black Plague. Yes, people with this gene also survived the largest plague ever to sweep through the human race. Fascinating, right?

Not sure if everyone knows, but my BA is in medieval history (with a minor in evolutionary anthropology). This episode sparked so much curiosity that a plot for a new YA novel practically handed itself to me. No, it's not a literal adaptation of the real-life story, but it is a warped concept from a tangential thought related to the episode.

Since I'm deep in edits for Afterlife and pretty much obligated to write the third book in The Swarm Trilogy next, I can't attack this new story right this second. I am, however, planting it in my subconscious. Over the next couple of months I'll let it grow, change, and blossom so by the time I'm ready to write it, I'll have the basic plot and characters living in my already crowded imagination.

Even though I can't write it today, I will be taking notes, mentally and on paper. This plot is too good to let go. If you ever get an idea for a book, don't dismiss it. Write it down. Let it grow. Trust me, I have far more regrets for not writing down ideas rather than writing down too many. ;)

Megg, Miss Enchanted ePubber

When Do You Get Ideas?

Tip of the Day: I'm steadily getting more addicted to twitter. Follow me! @TinaSpringer

I got a new idea for a YA book this week and I'm so excited! It's one of those ideas where I'm examining my schedule and trying to decide what I can shuffle around so that I can start right away on this. That's the only hard part with a new great idea, having to wait. It's like a kid waiting for Christmas. I want to write it NOW! But I need to finish a critique, and two revisions. And I should start a different book I said I would start too. But I'm just going to have to fit this in somewhere. At least until I have a synopsis and a couple of chapters so that I don't forget any of my idea.

I noticed something too this week about when I get book ideas. I almost always get them in the shower or in spin class. Why the heck is that? I'm not sure. Is it the only time my mind is calm and not filled with the high-pitched screaming of 4 kids? Could be. And then I always get the ideas when I'm not near anything to write with! Take this week. I'm on the bike during class, the room is dark and the disco ball lights are swirling, Lady Gaga is blaring, and the instructor is yelling out moves. And I'm trying to figure out how I can reach my iphone to compose a new message to myself with the idea in it and send without looking obnoxious. Fun!

When do you guys get ideas?

Kristina, Miss Author in Action

Staying creative...

Tip of the Day: happy almost summer everyone!

When I first started writing it seemed like the ideas were always flowing. Just like with anything at the beginning it's always new and exciting. But after a few years it feels harder to keep pushing yourself. Keep trying to get creative. Keep coming up with new ideas.

Every author seems to have the joke that they get their ideas from the Idea Store. Because it is sort of funny, no one knows where ideas come from. They are just everywhere.

At the same time, I think you can help yourself spark creativity in so many ways. Some of my favorite:

Reading a good book.

It's hard not to find inspiration when reading other people's work. Usually I get so excited about writing my own that I often have to put down the book I'm reading to work on my own. And usually the inspiration has nothing to do with the book I'm reading. Just reading is inspiration enough.

Trying something new.

I love trying new things. One of my biggest fears is that one day I'm going to run out of new things to try. This weekend to inspire creativity, I worked on some polymer clay jewelry. Similar to these beauties found on polymerclay.craftgossip.com.

What are some of your favorite ways to spark creativity?

--Emily

Band Books (or Musical Treats!)

Tip of the Day: Get your snow tires on now if you haven't already. (Um, yeah, note to self.)

Since my manpanion is in a band, I know a lot about being on the girlfriend/audience member side of bandship and have been waiting to channel this into a YA novel. The dank bars, the hardcore groupies, the hot shows, the rank acoustics, the possibilities for settings and characters are endless!

But often when I read novels that TALK about music and songs, I can't get into them. I mean, I can LISTEN TO music, but I don't like listening to someone TALK ABOUT how music sounds.

Does that make sense?

Some examples of YAs with musical contexts that I've enjoyed are:


HARMONIC FEEDBACK (great novel about a girl with Asperger's who is a musician)
THE HALF-LIFE OF PLANETS (dual pov of a girl with a rep and a boy with Asperger's who is a musician)
AUDREY, WAIT (hilarious novel about a girl whose ex writes a hit song about her)
FREEFALL (guy drops out of his bro's band but plays a solid bass)

Others probably love the music talk in these books, but for me I liked the musical ELEMENTS and could relate the characters' musical interests, but I skimmed over the details of the SONGS.

Does that mean I shouldn't write a band book? Or that I should skip the music TALK and just get on with the dynamics, settings, and characters?
Do others have problems "hearing" music when it's talked about in books? Could music "aps" for ebooks create a whole new reading-of-music-based-novels experience?

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

Journey from Idea to Book

Tip of the Day: Thanksgiving is just 13 days away. I don't want to know how many days until Christmas, because it's not enough. I should start shopping now!!


On Monday, I finished line edits on my upcoming middle grade novel, SPRINKLES AND SECRETS. This is a companion novel to IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES, and will be released 9/2011.

This book has had quite the journey, and I thought it'd be interesting to share that journey today.

Back in February or March, I decided to pitch a sequel to Aladdin, the publisher of IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES. I wrote 5 chapters and a proposal. But, in April, my agent received word that my editor thought we would be better going with a companion novel, rather than a sequel. I think the reasoning is that with a companion, new readers can pick up the book and jump right in, without having read the first one. There is a connection, but the book can easily stand on its own. My editor suggested a book told from Sophie's point of view. Sophie is Isabel's best friend (Isabel is the main character in CUPCAKES).

I was a bit disappointed at first. I liked the idea I had for the sequel (although, now, all of these months later, do you know I can't even remember what I had planned). And I had no idea what I could possibly do for a plot in a book with Sophie as the main character. I mean, without a plot, you don't really have a book!

So, I whined to my friends, including my buddies here at Author2Author, trying to figure out what a story about Sophie might entail. In CUPCAKES, we learned that Sophie is a real go-getter. She loves to sing and act and her dream is to be an actress someday. Deena suggested - what if she has the chance to be in a commercial? And that got the wheels spinning. I made some connections from the first book to create some conflict - and a new book idea was born. (Thank you DEENA!!!)

I wrote another five chapters and we sent it to my editor. She didn't love them, but thought the book had the potential, so they made an offer. I couldn't stop worrying about whether they might not like the whole book though. And I *really* wanted to make this idea work. So I sat down and fast-drafted the rest of the novel in a matter of days, after I briefly outlined the whole book. That was key - knowing what each chapter was going to be about (in a very general way).

When I got my editorial letter, there were some major changes I needed to make. The beginning just wasn't working. I had to find a way to show the kind of person Sophie is and get readers up-to-speed on what happened in CUPCAKES, if they hadn't read that book. But it needed to be fun and interesting, so people who had read CUPCAKES wouldn't be bored. I don't think I've ever had to change a beginning of a book before - I seem to have more trouble with endings. With this revision, I also needed to eliminate one sub-plot entirely and make a minor character more of a major one, and bring out a sub-plot with him. I decided the best thing to do was open a brand new document and start writing.

I was able to use probably 50% of the existing manuscript, but I added another 50% that was entirely new. Did this make me regret writing the entire novel like I'd done? No. I think having an entire novel to work with allowed my editor to really figure out what she liked and what she didn't like, so she could give me some good editorial direction.

So much of what we do is rewriting. We worry we won't be able to come up with new scenes, new sub-plots, new characters, and yet, we do! And often, they're better than we ever imagined they would be.

I love how this book turned out, and my editor does too. The journey had a lot of twists and turns, but I never let myself doubt that I couldn't get where we needed to go. I've gotten a lot of notes from readers of IT'S RAINING CUPCAKES who want another book about Isabel and Sophie. And I just kept thinking - I have to make this work for them.

And it feels so good to have made it to the finish line!!!

~Lisa, Miss Crafting a Career

Thinking about third person POV

Tip of the day: A new and exciting blog is coming next week! Follow @YAContemps on twitter and all will be revealed SOON!

I can't believe it's the middle of August. How did this happen?

I haven't been writing lately. Just enjoying summertime, hanging out with my kids, working on a group project that's been taking lots of time, etc. But all the while, I've been trying to decide what my next project will be, so come September, when the kids are back in school, I can dive in.

I think I've finally found the next idea. That is no small feat. Ideas are hard for me! Of course, we'll see, because there are those things called false starts where I go 10-20 pages and decide the story isn't for me after all.

Anyway, at this point I know the story is YA. I know the basic premise. I know the title. I think I even know the first line.

What I don't know for sure is how I'm going to tell it. When you have a story idea, how do YOU decide how you're going to tell it? Is is the way the voice comes to you in your head? Or is it more than that? Something tells me it may be best to tell this new story in third person. Maybe even third person omniscient. What does that mean?

It means the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters in the story, as opposed to third person limited, which is just one character's perspective.

It scares me to try writing a book this way, because I think you have to be a beautiful story teller. Or at the very least, an interesting one. Probably two of the most famous books told in this manner are THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak and THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS by E. Lockhart.

I put them on hold at the library so over the next month I can reread them and study how these authors wrote these amazing stories using an omniscient point of view.

I'm curious - how do you feel about third person in general, and if you've read the above books, what do you think of third person omniscient? Most YA today is written in first person. And yes, so far, all of my YA novels are written in first person. But I like stretching myself, trying new things. It keeps things interesting!

~Lisa, Miss Crafting a Career

I love my idea journal!

Tip of the day: I will be talking books, reading and signing at Vroman's in Pasadena on Thursday, July 1st at 7:00 pm. If you're in the area, I'd love to see you!

Last fall, I read THE MAGICIAN'S ELEPHANT by Kate Dicamillo. Now, while it wasn't my favorite book of hers, I still really enjoyed it. There was something a little bit magical about it. And after I closed the book, I had this longing to write a book that felt magical in a way. I can't describe what I was thinking or feeling. But I grabbed my idea journal and I wrote down these words:

A story in the garden.

Events happen in and around the garden, a beautiful flower garden.

There is a bird.

There is a gypsy.

There is a girl and a boy.

There is a mother.

There is a king.

The bird ties everything together

Since then, I've written many other things in that journal. But always, I came back to that page, and thought, what is the story on this page? I want to find it. Someday.

Recently, when I became frustrated with a novel I had been writing for a few months, I flipped open my idea journal, like I often do, to see what I might find. And again, I paused on that page I had written months and months ago. And suddenly, things started coming to me.

I finished writing the book recently - it's a middle grade novel. Once I started, everything came together in a very magical way and I love, love, LOVE the story I ended up with. Not all of the things listed above ended up in the book. And some things are a tad different from what's listed above. My agent has read it, and she loved it as well. YAY!! I have some minor revisions to do on it before it's ready to go, and I've been swamped with other stuff, so haven't gotten to it yet. But hopefully it will be ready for submission soon.

When I bought the journal on etsy, the girl making it asked me what quote I'd like put on the inside, for inspiration. I chose this one:

Do you have an idea journal? Have I tempted you to try one if you don't? I highly recommend it!

~Lisa, Miss Crafting a Career

Why writing for me can't be a solitary profession

Tip of the day: I am HERE this weekend, talking about me, my writing, and my books. Please, come and see me!!

I think I've talked here before about how one of my writerly weaknesses is coming up with ideas. I really have to work hard to come up with my book ideas. Whenever I hear authors say they have entire notebooks filled with ideas, I secretly want to break into their house and steal them. I mean, to me that would be better than a treasure chest full of gold!

Even when I have an idea, sometimes the specific plot points that need to occur in the story trip me up. It seems like I'll get stuck on one thing and I'll try to figure out how to make it work, even though it really is just NOT working and I should come up with something else entirely. But it's SO hard for me to do that.

I'm in the process of doing a total rewrite on a book, and pretty much everything has had to change. One crucial element in the story that worked in the first version is just not going to cut it this time around. And I kept trying to think of how else things could play out and nothing made sense. I was to that point where I was ready to just give up. I mean, you've been there, right? It's so frustrating!!

It reminds me of a really hard puzzle and there's one piece you can't find and you look and you look and you look and finally, you think, why am I still looking, this is not fun anymore!!!

And just like with a puzzle, a new set of eyes or ears can make ALL the difference. Writing friends have pulled me from the pit of despair probably a hundred times. Sometimes you just need someone to play the what if game with you. Our own Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing, recently helped me pin down a plot element for a new story I was working on recently, and what she came up with was PERFECT.

At first, I'm like, duh, why didn't I think of that? But then I get over myself and am just SO grateful that I have people I can turn to who are willing to listen or read a bit and help out.

Some writers can write a book beginning to end all by themselves. And occasionally, I do that as well. But more often than not, it takes a village to finish one of my books. I can look at each of my books and think of at least a couple of places where it made ALL the difference having input from a writer friend or two on what should be there.

Sometimes I just can't find the missing puzzle piece, and want to smash thing to bits all over the floor. But now I know, before I do that, I should call in a friend. Because most times, they point RIGHT to it, and the picture is much clearer as a result.

~Lisa, Miss Crafting a Career

Holidramas (or We Are Fa-mi-ly)

Tip of the Day: If $10 electric beaters seem too good a deal to be true, they probably are.

Real life family dramas can be draining enough, but when they are rampant through the holidays, well, get the wine bottle opener ready. Or lock the liquor cabinet, depending on your guests.

Because of the amped-up drama surrounding times that are supposed to be Jolly and Chipper and full of Good Cheer, adding a holiday family gathering into your manuscript can be a great way to increase tension or set the scene for a solid familial blow-up. Besides, you can get the whole family in one location for the ultimate audience for your MC's explosion/revelation/meltdown!

(Ellen Wittlinger's PARROTFISH is an excellent example of using Christmas as the backdrop for a climax/beginning resolution scene. Have I mentioned lately how much I love Ellen Wittlinger)
I need to follow my own advice on this. So far I have two books that feature Independence Day, and one that features a birthday party. Good, but not nearly as potentially theatrical as Thanksgiving through New Years.

However, in writing such scenes since they often do include family, be careful not to too accurately portray your own Crazy Aunt Luella or Drunken Grandpa Pete, lest they recognize themselves upon publication. Unless they thrive on that sort of thing.

This year, family dramas are abounding, but I don't want to exploit the fam's holidrama even if I do find it somewhat amusing. How do you find the balance between writing real minor characters who mirror your own family and flat-out stealing Cheating Cousin Kyle's exact hilarious personality and situation for the sake of your story?

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

How BAKE Came To Be (or Warning: Sappiness Ahead)

Tip of the Day: It's not too late to enter THE ESPRESSOLOGIST contest! All you have to do is snap a pic of the book at a coffee shop. It's too good a deal to pass up!

I've got an exciting, Subbing for Pubbing news bite for you!

Ready?

I got my first rejection.

I know, I know, you're all in tears for me, but I'm not! I have faith. Just send good vibes into the publishing world for my MG, BAKE, SET, MATCH if you have a spare minute. Can I tell you how much I love this book? I really love this book -- and what it has become through all of its visions.

Oh, you want the whole saga in abridged form? Of course! Here it is.

When I was in 3rd grade, I met another 3rd grader named Beth. She, her older brother, and her parents were new to the neighborhood. And both her parents had cancer. Her dad's was really bad and her mom's was a passing thought as she spent all her time caring for her family. My 8-year-old self didn't even know her mom was sick, but Beth and I became super friends.

At some point, Beth began spending nights at my house. Sometimes weeks. Of course to me this was fun and new and exciting to have a friend over 24/7! But the reality was that her dad was in the hospital all the time and her mom was there with him and she didn't want to leave Beth alone.

Mix in what happens when pre-adolscent girls spend tons of time together (bff love + sisterly beeyotching), a step into the tumultuous fourth grade, best friend necklace drama, and material jealousies and you have the makings of an MG novel 20 years later without even knowing it.

Very sadly, Beth's father passed away while we were in fourth grade, and her mother while we were in sixth. At my older, wiser age of 12 I couldn't believe all the materialistic, trivial stuff I thought about and went on about with Beth in elementary school. I mean, her parents were really sick and I would get upset when my mom let her eat candy before dinner but not me.

So a few years ago in super hindsight, I wanted to explore the relationship between two girls who are trying to forget about the scary cancer surrounding them. Yet if they completely forget about it, nothing else is really in perspective anymore. It's a balance between what's real, what's right, what's important. And I think it's a good lesson for ALL of us at any age to think about.

BAKE, SET, MATCH is not a memoir of my time in 3rd through 6th grades, but rather a story about friendships and baking and tennis based on that kernel of best friends who are forced to become nearly sisters in the midst of drama and heartache. OK, so my first drafts were a bit more true-to-life, but once I got that out of my system, the true plot of the book came out and I think it says what I want to say and have needed to say for all these years.

Fortunately, Beth and I remained friends after she had to move away in sixth grade, and are still friends today despite the miles between us. She also gave me permission to keep the name "Beth" for the Beth-like character in my book. What friend could ask for a greater gift than that? :)

Deena, Miss Subbing for Pubbing

Yes, I'm Listening to You and You May End up in My Book

Tip of the Day: YA author Sara Ockler wrote a fabulous blog this week on choosing your agent. She includes a great list of questions to ask too!

I spent this past weekend celebrating my 10th anniversary with my husband in downtown Chicago.















We stayed in a fancy hotel and ate lots of fancy food in fancy restaurants and even took one of those (no I won't say fancy again) horse and carriage rides around the city.














It was awesome. One of the fun things we did was dinner up in the Signature room (it's on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building).














This was truly awesome and everyone should try it out once (though, second tip of the day, if you don't want to spend the bucks on dinner go up to the lounge on the 96th floor and get a drink or snack). Dinner was yum and really long. I'm not complaining about the time mind you, I could have sat up there all day looking at the great view and talking with my sweet hubby.




















But I was doing something else too. I was totally eavesdropping on the table next to us. They were SO entertaining! My husband thought I should stop but I couldn't. All writers eavesdrop (right? It's my job! Back me up here.). The people next to me were having a going away dinner for their Italian au pair. They loved her so much. It was lifetime movie sweet. There were nonstop hugs and kisses and gifts and speeches. It was really touching how much they were going to miss her. I've never met an au pair so I was thinking I need to remember some of the things they were talking about in case I ever need it for a book. I may have even jotted down some notes on my iphone. Did I go to far? :-)

Kristina, Miss Delighted to Debut